The village was bustling with noise as both soldiers and villagers were making their way to the market street. Most days it was usually normal, but today was different as the traveling shopkeepers had made their way to the village to sell goods from all over China.
The village was a hefty population of felines and canines, with very few bunnies and pigs. But one villager stood out among the rest, and never failed to catch stares.
"Hey Qiang!" The villager yelled out, slowly approaching the fruit stand.
The pig looked up and smiled, grateful to see a familiar face amidst the large array of people.
"An! Good to see you darling! Come here, I've got some goods for you!" She yelled back.
The hooded figure rushed to the stand and slightly bowed towards Qiang.
"Thank you so much! I bet you've gotten tons of customers by now."
"Oh I wish, sweetie. But those traveling stands are selling things I've never even heard of. And I've been doing this a long time! People are attracted to different."
An frowned underneath the hood, the words piercing her.
People are attracted to different.
She wished she could agree with that, but her life had proven otherwise.
Qiang handed her two large burlap sacks full of all kinds of fruits.
"Here you go sweetie, it's on the house."
"Oh no, please! I can pay for it all!" An quickly interjected.
Qiang raised up her hand, cutting An off.
"Nope, you're gonna take that fruit and you're gonna enjoy it, you hear me?"
An sighed and shook her head, a slight smile on her face.
Qiang, out of all the villagers, was the only one who ever truly showed her respect. Even as a child, Qiang was always there to listen to her issues, and give her advice when she came to her. She was always there to help. And so it pained An whenever she was given anything from her free of charge. But Qiang insisted, so An obeyed.
"Ok ok, I'll take them."
"Atta girl!" Qiang said, playfully pinching An's cheek. "I hope I put enough in them for that appetite of yours." She added jokingly.
An chuckled. "I don't know, I might need a third bag."
Qiang threw her head back in laughter. "Don't tempt me girly, I'll get one right now."
"No no no no, you put that bag down!"
They both laughed and chatted for a bit, until An bid her farewell and continued down the street.
As she made her way out of the busy marketplace, An reflected on those words she had heard.
People are attracted to different.
'Really? Is that so?' She thought to herself.
Looking down as she walked, she came across a puddle in the road and stared intently at her broken reflection. The water stilled, revealing the white and black stripes that aligned her face.
People are attracted to different.
She could hear the laughter, the jokes, the incessant remarks thrown at her from every which way.
She could see herself running down alleyways, hiding in the corner of the classroom, taking refuge in the woods behind the village. Anything to escape the taunting that constantly befell her very existence.
From her first day in school, to the present, she was bullied by the other felines, and some of the other villagers as well. And even after years, the words were as fresh as spilled blood. How they pointed out her so called abnormalities. Her round ears, her black and white stripes, her large appetite, her tail that was shorter than most tigers, and even her teeth.
She was different, there was no mistaking it. But one thing that never occurred to her was that...
People are attracted to different.
She furiously kicked the puddle, so hard that the water splashed up to the roof of the house beside it.
But some water remained, and when it stilled, she saw her reflection again as clear as day.
She exhaled deeply, feeling the urge to cry. But she was headstrong.
Adjusting the burlap sacks on her shoulder, she defiantly stepped on her reflection, and continued down the street.